2013 Best Picture Nominees by ROI
From TheWrap, a helpful chart to remind us of the importance of three little letters: ROI. Return. On. Investment. And sure, Beasts of the Southern Wild chalking up a total of $22M worldwide is a total on par with craft services for say… Marvel’s The Avengers. And yes, the numbers are squishy because production budgets should also include all sorts of additional costs such as P&A, distribution fees. Plus international dollars are all over the place in terms profits due to varying deals from country to country.
But still, the chart does provide a baseline for assessing the relative financial success of these movies. And as the article indicates, Beasts is a remarkable story. But for my money, there are two bigger B.O. stories among the 9 Best Pictures: Argo and Silver Linings Playbook.
Argo: This movie is the poster child of films that major Hollywood studios have to be dragged into making. At $45M plus additional costs puts this movie squarely in the dreaded mid-budget range. Moreover it is an adult drama which Hollywood has tried its best to believe is dead, allowing them to continue unfettered to their blind pursuit of young people. But dragged they were by Clooney, Affleck and significant funding from outside sources, and here we are $200M+ later, a total that could go up considerably now that it has won an Oscar.
What does this mean: Perhaps more mid-budget adult dramas?
Silver Linings Playbook: $150M B.O. with a hefty jolt to come from Jennifer Lawrence’s Oscar. That is a startling total for a movie with challenging subject matter and a low budget. But here’s the thing: It’s a compelling story with many points of emotional connection, everything from the struggles of a deeply flawed family to the mental illness. It’s a drama. With humor. Its characters were strong enough to attract great actors. And all of that was in turn enough to attract a large and diverse audience, driven by adults and seniors.
What does this mean: There is gold in the $20M and under movies that target adults and seniors, as long as their stories are compelling enough to attract good actors and to woo that target audience.
For more of TheWrap article, go here